A NEW CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF SOVIET SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY*

S. I. Vavilov

The uninterrupted and great growth of Soviet science and technology in all its branches is an obvious fact. This is made especially clear by certain figures.

In 1949, ten times more students were studying in the country’s higher educational institutions than in prerevolutionary times. A rapid growth in the ranks of the student body took place after the Great Patriotic War: compared with 1940, the number of students increased by more than twofold. In prerevolutionary Russia there was only a small detachment of research scientists. The Soviet Union now has a large army of scientific specialists. Here one may speak of an almost hundredfold increase. The country has become covered with an extensive network of research institutes and laboratories.

The growth of Soviet science is also accompanied by a change in its content, by its qualitative successes. A remarkable indicator of the qualitative growth of Soviet science is the awarding of Stalin Prizes for outstanding works in the field of science and invention. The new, large list of Stalin Prize laureates in the field of science and technology adds yet another significant page to the history of the development of Soviet science.

First in the new list of Stalin Prize laureates stand the names of the astronomers V. A. Ambartsumian, B. E. Markarian, and G. A. Shain. The prize-winning works concern very broad questions of the modern doctrine of the universe and the structure of the heavenly bodies. V. A. Ambartsumian, B. E. Markarian, and their collaborators, on the basis of a number of features, succeeded in discovering, within the complex diversity of stars, special—

* Kultura i Zhizn, March 12, 1950.

systems of stars, separated by enormous spaces but nevertheless undoubtedly connected by their origin. This discovery has far-reaching prospects and makes it possible to pose the question of the origin of stars in an entirely new way. The opinion, widespread in bourgeois science, of a special moment of the emergence of the universe is now being replaced, on the basis of the work of Soviet astronomers, by the doctrine of a continuous process of the emergence of celestial bodies. The director of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, G. A. Shajn, is responsible for studies of carbon in stellar atmospheres. G. A. Shajn succeeded in proving that the relative content of carbon isotopes under these conditions is entirely different from that on Earth. This discovery bears directly on the most important problem of the sources of stellar energy and poses the question anew, in contrast to what had hitherto been accepted in astronomy.

Among the works awarded Stalin Prizes, many were carried out by physicists, although formally some of these works are placed in sections relating to chemistry, geology, technology, and so forth. This is a characteristic indication of the deep penetration of our physics into all branches of natural science and technology. A major study by M. V. Vol’kenshtein, M. A. El’yashevich, and B. I. Stepanov on the problem of molecular oscillations was awarded a Prize. The solution of this very complex and varied problem, found by the authors, is of fundamental importance for many questions of physics, chemistry, and technology. Subtle questions of electrodynamics are analyzed in the works of D. D. Ivanenko, A. A. Sokolov, and Yu. Ya. Pomeranchuk. The theoretical analysis led to the establishment of the necessity of the existence of new phenomena in the motion of electrons—phenomena that had remained unnoticed until now. The theoretical conclusions have recently been receiving experimental confirmation and practical application. In the works of V. I. Danilov an experimental solution is given to an old and fundamental question in the theory of liquids; the fact is established that centers of crystallization arise in supercooled liquids without the presence of special centers of crystallization. Great physical theoretical content is embodied in the group of investigations collected in the monograph Combustion of Carbon, devoted to a very important technical question. The work was carried out under the direction of A. S. Predvoditelev.

As in previous years, among the prize-winning works there is a new method of spectral analysis of metals and alloys, developed by the physicists V. K. Prokof’ev, N. S. Sventitskii, and K. I. Taganov. With each year spectral analysis is winning ever new areas of application in industry. Yu. G. Shafer, N. L. Grigorov, and A. S. Muratov were awarded a Prize for developing the design of an instrument for the study of cosmic rays.

A number of works assigned to various branches of science and technology are closely connected with the fundamental problems of mathematics and its various applications.

Such are the studies by I. N. Vekua on new methods for solving elliptic equations, which are of substantial importance for the theory of elasticity; A. V. Pogorelov’s work on the theory of convex surfaces; and V. Z. Vlasov’s general theory of shells, important for many questions of engineering.

The chemical sciences, represented in the new list of prize-winning works by a number of important studies in the fields of inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, are developing deeply and diversely. Among such works are A. I. Titov’s studies on the nitration of hydrocarbons; the extensive work on a new method for producing artificial fiber, carried out by I. L. Knunyants and a number of other scientists; the development and introduction into industry of new chemical materials, belonging to S. N. Ushakov and his collaborators; the obtaining and introduction into industry of new aviation materials as the result of complex work carried out by K. A. Andrianov, A. V. Topchiev, and others. Works in the field of physical chemistry, honored with Stalin Prizes, are of great importance. M. M. Dubinin was awarded for his well-known studies on adsorption; V. A. Kargin for works on various questions of the physical chemistry of high-polymer substances; and K. V. Chibisov and his collaborators for a fundamental study on the question of the nature of photosensitivity and the mechanism of the processes occurring in the synthesis of photographic emulsions.

Alongside the names of researchers of the younger and middle generations, in the honorable list of new laureates stand the names of our venerable scholars of the older generation—Academician V. A. Obruchev, awarded for his many years of work on the history of the geological exploration of Siberia; Academician E. N. Pavlovsky, who received the prize for the Guide to Human Parasitology with a Study of the Vectors of Transmissive Diseases; and Academician K. I. Skryabin, for the fundamental study Trematodes of Animals and Man.

It may be noted with satisfaction that among the new laureates there is a large number of scientists working locally—in the academies of the Union republics, in remote centers. Many prize-winning works were carried out in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Georgia, Tomsk, and the Baltic republics. Among the works in geology honored with prizes, we find the study by G. S. Dzotsenidze of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR, the book on the mineralogy of silicates by V. S. Sobolev, who works at Lviv University, and the works on the glaciation of the Altai by M. V. Tronov, docent of Tomsk State University.

S. I. VAVILOV

The broad and active discussion of the fundamental questions of biology has had a beneficial effect on the development of the biological sciences. Among the works honored with Stalin Prizes, we find I. E. Glushchenko’s study on the question of vegetative hybridization of plants, and several outstanding works in plant growing and animal husbandry. For the breeding and introduction into production of fine-staple cotton varieties, V. P. Krasichkov was awarded a prize. For the breeding of a new variety of spring wheat for the steppe and forest-steppe regions of Siberia, a prize was awarded to I. N. Somchenkov and I. N. Smirnov. For the breeding of new varieties of sweet cherry and the advancement of this crop in the Leningrad Region, F. K. Teterev was awarded a prize. For developing advanced agrotechnics for apricot cultivation, P. G. Shitt was honored with a prize. For breeding a new breed of fine-fleeced sheep, the “Kazakh argali-merino,” a prize was awarded to N. S. Butarin and his collaborators. The breeding of a new meat-and-wool breed of sheep was recognized with a prize awarded to A. A. Kapatsinskaya and her collaborators.

In the biological sciences section, among the prize-winning works, important studies by A. P. Okladnikov, M. A. Gremyatsky, and N. A. Sinelnikov on the study and description of the skeletal remains of Paleolithic man stand out. Of great interest is the method of reconstructing the form of the face from the skull, proposed and developed by M. M. Gerasimov.

A new section included in the resolution on the awarding of Stalin Prizes consists of works on the history of science and technology.

In recent years, interest in the past of our national science and culture has grown considerably, and scientific research in this field has intensified. The results in many cases have been striking: it has been scientifically proven that priority in many important discoveries, studies, and inventions belongs to our country.

Three prize-winning books on the history of science and technology are devoted to proving the achievements of national science in various fields of knowledge. A prize was awarded to the veteran Soviet electrical engineer M. A. Shatelen for his work Russian Electrical Engineers. The extensive study by P. M. Lukyanov, The History of Chemical Industries and the Chemical Industry of Russia, was honored with a prize. A prize was awarded to S. L. Sobol’s book The History of the Microscope and Microscopic Research in Russia in the Eighteenth Century; in this book, based on the study of archival materials and authentic historical instruments, the enormous role of Russian scientists in the development of the principal directions in microscopy is revealed.

A number of books on questions of history and archaeology, honored with prizes, testify to the new successes of Soviet historians and archaeologists.

awarded Stalin Prizes. Important materials are contained in I. I. Smirnov’s book The Bolotnikov Uprising, which documents the most important questions of the popular movement in our country in the seventeenth century. Of very great significance are the archaeological investigations of S. V. Kiselev on the ancient history of Southern Siberia and the work of T. S. Passek on the history of the most ancient settlements on the territory of our Motherland over the three millennia before our era.

The list of prizes for outstanding inventions and fundamental improvements in methods of production work testifies to a new, powerful rise of technical thought in our country.

Here we read names known throughout the country—designers—alongside the names of young engineers and technicians who are opening up new paths in the most diverse fields. The prize has recognized the enormous and honorable work of N. N. Kovalev and others on new designs, manufacture, and commissioning of improved types of turbines for the Dnepropetrovsk Hydroelectric Station in place of the structures blown up and destroyed by the fascists. A first-degree prize has recognized the creation of a new high-quality television transmitting system (V. L. Kreitser and others). A Stalin Prize has been awarded for new methods of construction work (G. A. Karavaev and others). Of great importance is the prize-winning work on the design and introduction of a mechanized shield for driving tunnels (K. A. Kuznetsov and others). The prize has recognized work on the design, technology, and organization of production of the light automobile “Pobeda” (A. A. Lipgart and others).

The authors of many works recognized with Stalin Prizes are workers, foremen, technicians, and engineers of our factories, and leading figures of agriculture. For the broad introduction into production of new Stakhanovite methods of labor, the prize has been awarded to the turner S. A. Batrakov, the blacksmith A. Ya. Belousov, the coremaker of a foundry shop N. A. Vasil’eva, and the head of the melting section of a foundry shop M. P. Lukovnikov. For the development and introduction of new asbestos-cement structures in the construction of industrial buildings and facilities, the prize has been awarded to a number of persons headed by chief engineer N. I. Lukashkin. There are many such associations in the new list of laureates.

A characteristic feature of many prize-winning works is the collective nature of their execution. In some collectives, scientists, engineers, and technicians are united. Before us is one of the expressions of the close working commonwealth of science and production. Four years ago, on February 9, 1946, Comrade Stalin, in his speech before the voters, expressed the hope that Soviet scientists would in the near future be able to surpass the achievements of science abroad—

the affairs of our country. The successes of our science, our technology, and our national economy over the four years have been so significant that there can be no doubt that Soviet science is close to solving the task set before it by Comrade Stalin.